Donald Trump stopped by a 2026 LIV Golf tournament over the weekend. Thought viral headlines are about much more than golf.
The president was the guest of honor at his own Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. Lucas Herbert’s first LIV Golf win was a huge accomplishment for the athlete.
But his shining moment was completely overshadowed by footage of Trump, 79, seemingly getting upset and rushing out.
Trump was accompanied by his son, Eric Trump, at the Northern Virginia course. Eric, 42, is an executive for the Trump Organization. He oversees the partnership between the private company and LIV Golf to host events at Trump-owned properties.
Clips of their interaction went viral online after noticing Trump’s tense conversation with a man in a white cap.
The exchange at Trump National on May 9 quickly turned tense as the family’s upbeat mood appeared to fade.
A stone-faced Trump listened briefly, muttered a response, grabbed a hat from the table, and abruptly walked away.
Afterward, the man stayed behind speaking to others before following the president out of frame. It fueled speculation on X about what may have upset Trump enough to leave in a huff.
“What did the guy in the white cap say to Trump that made him suddenly leave? Wrong answers only,” read a tweet about a 16-second video of the audioless conversation.
What did the guy in the white cap say to Trump that made him suddenly leave?
Wrong answers only pic.twitter.com/xZROg9Pl3U
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) May 10, 2026
Social media users began piling on with theories about what was said that would make Trump so visibly angry. Whether the man mentioned, “Sir, this area is reserved for Barack Obama” or “Kamala really won the election.”
A third person joked, “The distractions and assassination attempts aren’t working.”
More brutal responses brought up his ties to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. One person claimed, “He told Donny that Iran just Released The Unredacted Epstein Files in LEGO form.”
Trump’s infamous love for fast food inspired another jokester to post, “Your cankles have reached your neck, fatso.”
Another comment read, “With tears in his eyes, the guy in the white cap whispered, ‘McDonald’s closes in 15 minutes, Sir.’”
“Wish we all knew what the guy in [the] white cap said to Trump to make him leave. Then we could all repeat it and repeat it until he left forever,” offered one critic.
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It is still unclear what led to “The Art of the Deal” author storming off so quickly.
Donald and Eric received a warm welcome from the LIV fans. The crowd launched into “USA” chants as the president waved and pumped his hands in the air from behind protected glass. But one clip shows him only raising his left arm, while his right stayed at his side.
A few people wondered, “What is going on with his right arm? It just hangs there most of the time.”
“There is something definitely wrong with that arm and just before the little wave he pulled his jacket over, maybe there was something to help him move it. The arm droops like a stroke arm,” noticed another observer.
One person insisted, “That’s Walt Nauta, he empties pool water to flood basements full of stolen top secret documents.”
Moments before Trump abruptly retreated from the table, Eric was spotted on his cellphone speaking to an unknown caller. He briefly stepped away from his father’s side.
Less than two minutes later, Trump pointed in the direction Eric had gone. The man then believed to be his longtime personal aide Walt Nauta, approached him, prompting the president to walk away.
Nauta has been spotted with his boss at previous LIV Golf tournaments, and he was seen wearing similar attire to the unconfirmed individual chatting with the POTUS in Sterling.
He slowly rose to be part of Trump’s inner circle. According to reports, the Guam native was working in the White House cafeteria in the first Trump administration prior to being tapped to be Trump’s valet.
He took on the position of Trump’s executive assistant in 2021. Two years later, the Navy veteran was indicted by a federal grand jury in the highly publicized classified government documents criminal case. It was conveniently dismissed by the U.S. Court of Appeals after Trump won the 2024 presidential election.